Here's To Summer v2
by enchanted-nova
Summary: Naruto and his friends go on a summer vacation of a life time, it's their final summer together before they head off to college. Of course, tensions run high with romance, fights, and betrayal. No vacation ever did run smoothly, but here's to summer! Multiple pairings. Lemons. AU. Rewritten version.
1. Chapter 1

**Graduation**

-Naruto-

This was it.

They had graduated, he had graduated. He managed to survive four years of high school. There were plenty of ups and downs, but some of his greatest memories he would ever have were created in that building in front of him. He held onto the goofy cap that was on his head about ten minutes ago. Everyone was saying their goodbyes and getting their congratulations from their families. He smiled as several people walked past him, congratulating him on surviving high school.

Naruto Uzumaki, the kid voted funniest guy of his class. He waved and bumped fist with a few people as he walked through the slew of red gowns His blue eyes scanned the area and he smiled when he spotted Sakura Haruno, the valedictorian, standing on top of a bench. She was looking left and right until she spot his blond mess of hair and screamed. Jumping down from the bench the girl with the unusual bubblegum pink hair came running towards him.

"We graduated!" Sakura exclaimed as she tackled him into a massive hug. Naruto laughed and agreed, saying it was the best moment of his life. She let go of him and patted the side of his face. "I knew we, as in me, Sasuke, and everyone else, but you I had my doubts." She waved her manicured finger at him and Naruto stifled a laugh before tapping her nose with the point of his goofy looking cap.

"Naruto!" his mother, Kushina shouted as she weaved through the crowd with his father, Minato in tow. "You did it, my son graduated! I'm so proud of you! And Sakura that was a wonderful speech, very well put." Kushina placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and Sakura blushed, thanking the redheaded woman.

"Congratulations you two," Minato beamed as he hugged his son and then hugged Sakura. "You finally did it." He winked at the two of them and they both laughed.

It was quite an accomplishment after all. The countless hours spent studying, research, writing, and of course skipping class and trying not to get caught.

Sakura's parents soon came over and started chatting with Naruto's parents. While they were catching up and reminiscing about the two's first day of school, Sakura pulled Naruto across the courtyard to where Ino, Shikamaru, and Sasuke were standing. They were all laughing and talking about having finally survived high school.

"Hey!" Sakura called out, waving her hands up in the air to get their attention. Sasuke looked over first and smiled upon seeing Sakura and Naruto, his two best friends. When the pinkette got over to him they hugged and congratulated each other. Naruto and Sasuke bumped fist and then Ino practically tackled Naruto. He was just about to fall over, but he managed to keep his balance.

"Naruto it's a miracle, you actually graduated!" Ino exclaimed as she let him go and patted his shoulder's as if to say, you did a great job. The blond boy rolled his eyes, she didn't have to sound so amazed about it. He wasn't that dumb, he was actually fairly smart he just hated doing homework when he could be eating ramen or playing basketball or watching a movie or day dreaming about Hinata Hyuga.

"Now, now Ino, we all knew that Naruto would pass," Shikamaru intervened and Naruto thanked him for that. The truth was, Shikamaru actually helped Naruto in all of his classes. Shikamaru may have been that lazy kid and was voted the laziest kid in school, but he was super smart. If he had actually put forth effort he probably would have been the valedictorian instead of Sakura. Granted Shikamaru did graduate in the top ten of their class. "And if he didn't pass I would have killed him, cause I did not stay up late every night for the last two months of school for nothing." Shikamaru glared at Naruto, who rubbed the back of his neck and laughed lightly.

"Isn't the important thing that we all graduated. We all made it here together," Naruto tried, looking to each of his friends. Sasuke Uchiha the salutatorian of the class and resident pretty boy with dark hair and dark eyes, Ino Yamanaka the prettiest girl in school, Sakura Haruno the valedictorian and biggest control freak he'd ever known, Shikamaru Nara the laziest, but smartest guy he'd ever known. "We're all gonna have an awesome party at my house and then on Monday we're off on our island adventure!"

"Hey you're missing some of the coolest people in the group!" a raspy male voice boomed from behind the circle of friends. They all turned to look and spotted none other than Kiba Inuzuka. Standing behind the wild-eyed boy with the tousled brown hair was Hinata Hyuga, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten Ling.

"Guys this is it," Sakura said, gaining everyone's attention as the circle of friend's grew a little bit larger. "We graduated, all of us together. Come on group hug!" She waved forever to come closer.

"I'm not much of a hugger," Sasuke chimed in, but Sakura scowled and threw an arm around him, yanking him into the huddle. After a few moments they all broke apart and Naruto looked at his friends, Sakura was right this was it, they graduated. It was time for the next step, they'd all be going to college and heading on their separate ways once summer was over. He was sad to know that they would all be going elsewhere, or well most of them, but they had been the best of friends all throughout high school.

They wouldn't lose touch, they would stick together. He looked amongst his friends as they prattled and joked all around him. These were the moments he treasured the most the moments were all his friends were happy. He sighed softly and looked at Hinata Hyuga, the pearl eyed girl with the long indigo hair, she was soft spoken and so kind hearted, she'd always been that way.

She caught him staring and he smiled before turning away. The Hyuga girl blushed and bit her lip nervously. She and Naruto were friends, they were close, but at the same time their was a distance between them. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Hinata walked over to Naruto and smiled weakly. He looked at her and swallowed hard before managing to congratulate her.

"You too," she said softly.

"Are you scared about going to college?" Naruto asked her.

"A little," Hinata admitted with a nod before continue, "but I know I'll always have all of you to lean on, even if we're miles apart." She smiled warmly and Naruto agreed with her.

"Hey so when's that party of yours Naruto?" Kiba questioned as he walked over and slinked his arm around the blond's neck.

"It's already started, let's get to my house everyone!" Naruto hollered and everyone cheered.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This is the new version of my story, Here's To Summer. I'm taking a different route on things as I said in my author's note to the old version. I hope that everyone will enjoy this new version, which is structured a lot more than the first version, please let me know what you think. I will have a new update out very soon.

Also things to be aware of this story is obviously an AU, so things will be very different, but I will try to remain true to the characters personalities. Thanks again for reading and I will see you all in the next chapter! Much love!


	2. Chapter 2

**Party**

-Neji-

It had been two months since Neji Hyuga and Tenten Ling broke up. And they had only recently started talking again since that breakup. He never wanted to not talk to her, but being around her made him want to be with her again. They broke up for a reason though and that reason was that he was going to Kaminari and Tenten was staying in Konoha to attend the local university. It was so hard to be around her as just her friend it was foreign to him. They had dated for most of high school, he didn't know how to be her friend.

He even deleted her phone number so he couldn't text her or call her, he deleted his Facebook account so he wouldn't be tempted to cyberstalk her. The Hyuga boy was at a loss though when he saw her standing at the edge of Naruto Uzumaki's pool in her baby blue bikini. His lips were pursed as he pale, ghostly eyes watched her with a ravenous hunger. It took every bit of power he had not to go over there, grab her, and kiss her like it was his last day to live.

"Earth to Neji, come in Neji!" Rock Lee, Neji's best friend, called out as he waved his hand in front of Neji's face. Snapping out of his trance, Neji looked at his friend and smiled weakly. "You were doing it again," Lee pointed out and Neji gave his friend a puzzled look.

"I'm not doing anything," Neji snorted with a roll of his eyes and Lee scoffed.

"You might want to wipe that drool off your chin then," Lee said, leaning over to touch Neji's face. The Hyuga glared at his friend and smacked his hand away. "Are you sure you're going to be able to handle this trip?" Lee inquired, glancing over at Tenten as she dance with her girlfriends across the way. "I mean I won't be there to babysit you."

"I'll be fine," Neji replied curtly as he brought his can of soda to his lips. The bushy browed boy sitting across from him gave him a skeptical look, it was so obvious that he was hooked on Tenten. Lee could only imagine Neji's inner monologue as Tenten was dancing in her bikini. "Besides I already bought my ticket and everything's packed, I didn't save all that money up for the past two years for nothing."

Lee nodded stiffly. If he was in Neji's position he might feel the same way, but he wasn't. Rock Lee wasn't going to be going on the trip with his friends, although he really wanted too. The fact was he was going to a training camp for martial arts for the summer before he would head off to Iwa University.

"Don't do anything stupid, Neji," Lee warned.

"Too late, I already dumped," Neji muttered and Lee frowned, he was worried that Neji and Tenten wouldn't be able to handle being so close to each other. They dated for three and a half years and now it was all flushed down the toilet because Neji and her were going to different schools. "Don't worry, Lee, we'll be fine." The Hyuga shrugged his shoulders and glanced back over at Tenten who was laughing at some joke that Naruto was telling them.

"You can cut the sexual tension with a butter knife, friend," Lee pointed and Neji rolled his eyes. He always thought Lee was just a bit too dramatic, or maybe he wasn't being dramatic maybe it was true. His eyes landed back on Tenten and he caught her looking back at him. "You two are totally going to have hot hate sex," Lee predicted and Neji chunked his soda can at Lee's head, causing him to fall out of his chair.

-Sasuke-

The Uchiha was out on the front driveway with Shikamaru and Chouji, shooting some hoops. Sasuke dribbled the basketball between his legs, watching Shikamaru closely. Licking his lips, Sasuke faked left and spun back around to the right and made a perfect shot. Chouji clapped and told Sasuke that was a perfect shot.

"So Chouji tell us, why aren't you joining us on this cruise again?" Shikamaru asked as he picked up the ball and dribbled it across the driveway. The auburn haired boy who was sitting in the grass munching on a bag of potato chips said something, but they could understand him with his mouth so full. "Come again," Shikamaru chuckled as he took a shot and went around the rim twice before falling in.

"Because I am going to Italy for a summer culinary program and I used my money on that instead," Chouji replied and stuffed another handful of chips into his mouth.

"Wouldn't you want to spend time on the beach with your friends though?" Sasuke asked as he held the ball in his hand and tried to spin it on his index finger. The chubby boy sitting in the grass sighed and nodded his head stiffly. "Then why did you choose this culinary thing?"

"Well, I want to be a chef and it only seemed right to get some experience. Flipping burgers at McDonalds is not really experience," Chouji grumbled as he thought about the many nights he spent working inside that horrid place. Screaming kids, ridiculous adults, whiny teenagers, he wanted to work in a real restaurant and one day own his own. "I mean, I really wanted to go with you guys, but I think this will be an experience in and of itself." Chouji smiled at both his friends and Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

To be honest he actually admired Chouji's choice in going to see a different place in the world all on his own. If it weren't for Sasuke's parents, he probably would have backpacked across Europe for a year himself rather than going straight into college. It was a miracle they were even letting him go on this cruise in the first place, they wanted him to enroll in summer classes, but he refused. He saved up all his money bought his ticket and he was going. This was his last summer with his friends before he'd be going to Kaminari University.

Sure Neji would be going there, but the truth of the matter was is that Sasuke's two closest friends wouldn't be there with him. Sakura and Naruto had been by his side since they were in elementary school, granted he thought Naruto was a moron and Sakura was a crybaby, but when he got past all that he learned to appreciate them. It was hard to believe that they would all be separated by many miles after this summer was over.

"To think after this summer it's all over," Sasuke said as he dribbled the ball around his back and ran to the basket, doing a layup. When the ball went in, he grabbed hold of the orange ball and passed it to Shikamaru. "What happens next?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

"Life goes on," Shikamaru muttered cynically and Chouji chortled.

"A cynic to the end," Chouji commented and Sasuke agreed with a nod.

"Nope," Shikamaru said, taking a shot and making it perfectly. "Just a realist, posing as a cynic."

"Hey!" Ino shouted from the front door. The three boys all looked over at her as she walked over in her flip-flops and oversized t-shirt that hid the purple bikini underneath. "What are you three doing out here, we're about to play chicken." She put her hands on her hips, her long blonde hair comb over one slender shoulder.

"Oh come on Ino, you're suppose to get use when we're playing strip poker," Sasuke joked as he rested the ball on his hip. Shikamaru and Chouji laughed while Ino merely scowled and rolled her eyes, waving his words off.

"That wouldn't be a long game since we're all wearing practically nothing to begin with," Ino pointed out as she gestured to herself in an oversized light green t-shirt. Her blue eyes falling onto Sasuke who was only in his red swim trunks and Shikamaru who was in some green ones while Chouji was still fully clothed. "Now come on, Sakura and I are about to battle it out and she needs a partner." Ino walked over to Sasuke and grabbed his arm pulling him back into the house.

-Hinata-

"Well at least you'll sort of be with us," Hinata Hyuga said softly as she was sitting at the poolside with Shino and Naruto. She was in between them, but was sitting closer to Shino because she was afraid she'd pass out if Naruto and her touched. As it was she was already feeling self-conscious being in front of him wearing a navy blue bikini with white polka dots. "So your cousin works out there?" Hinata asked, looking at Shino.

"Yeah, so I'm staying with him for the summer. He's going to help me get my portfolio together, so that I can get that science scholarship," Shino explained to Hinata, who smiled and wished him all the luck on it. She was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to join them on the cruise, but at least they would see him out at the Koi Islands. His cousin was apparently an entomologist at a huge research facility on one of the tropical islands. "Yeah, so we'll see each other out there." Shino gave Hinata a weak smile.

"That's good, I would hate to not be able to hang out with everyone before summer's over since we're all going to different colleges," Hinata replied sadly, she glanced at Naruto who was kicking his feet in the water and nodding along with what she was saying. The Hyuga girl was really sad that she wouldn't be able to hang out with Naruto anymore. She made a promise to herself that she would tell Naruto how she felt, but she never did.

Every year since sixth grade, Hinata told herself she would confess her crush to Naruto and not once did it happen. And he was oblivious to her feelings, even Kiba and Shino said he was. Everyone else knew about her crush on Naruto, so really it should have made things easier since everyone besides Naruto knew, but it was the exact opposite. She sighed dejectedly, kicking herself for waiting so long. It was already too late now, Naruto was going to Myoboku University while she would be attending Kaminari with her cousin and Sasuke Uchiha.

"Okay let's get this competition started!" Ino shouted as she pulled Sasuke to the edge of the pool. Hinata looked over at her blonde friend, whom she envied. Ino Yamanaka always voiced her opinion, she was beautiful, and flirty. Sometimes Hinata wished she had the confidence that Ino possessed, she'd probably be dating Naruto if she did. "Hinata and Naruto come on!" Ino shouted over at them.

"What are we playing?" Naruto asked.

"Chicken, of course." Ino pulled off her t-shirt and kicked off her flip flops before jumping into the pool. When she resurfaced, she tied her hair into a low ponytail so it would stay out of her face. "Come on, you two pair up."

"Oh I don't know Ino," Hinata quickly protested, waving the matter off. The blonde girl didn't rake no for an answer though and swam over to them.

"Alright well if you won't pair up with Naruto, pair up with Shino," Ino said as she floated in front of them. "But we're going to play, are you two ready over there!" she shouted to Sakura and Sasuke, who were standing at the edge of the pool.

"Bring it on Pig!" Sakura shouted, shaking her fist at her.

"Oh it's been brought! Kiba get in the pool!" Ino commanded as she swam into the middle of the pool.

"I'm game if you are," Naruto offered, looking to Hinata with that cheesy smile of his. She blushed a bit and swallowed hard, suddenly feeling the butterflies in her stomach. "Come on, one game won't hurt." He got into the water and held his hand out to her. She stared at his hand for what felt like hours, but eventually pushed away her fears and took his hand. He carefully pulled her in and smiled as they swam over towards the center of the pool.

Shino remained where he was and watched them before sighing softly.

"Alright Naruto and Hinata take on the winner," Sakura said, nodding to Naruto and Hinata who were at the edge, watching as Sakura and Ino got onto the shoulders of Sasuke and Kiba.

"Which will be us," Ino said as she situated herself on Kiba's shoulders. "Ready and go!" The two girls started pushing each other back and forth, holding on tightly while Kiba and Sasuke tried to keep their balance.

Hinata watched them closely, wondering what it would be like when it was her turn. Her legs draped over Naruto's shoulders, they were wet and practically naked. The mere thoughts were making her want to faint. Snapping from her day dream, Hinata looked back at the girls and covered her mouth with her hands as Sakura and Sasuke almost fell backwards.

Everyone was standing by the poolside cheering the girls on and Hinata laughed at how excited everyone was getting. Ino and Sakura were both giving it their all, both being very competitive against one another. Hinata was getting anxious, she was a lover not a fighter and both Sakura and Ino were aggressive.

"Don't be nervous we can take them," Naruto said, nudging Hinata's side. She laughed lightly a nodded in agreement, when in reality she was actually having a heart attack. "Push her Sakura!" Naruto shouted as the pinkette suddenly got the upper hand and shoved Ino back, causing her to flip right off of Kiba's shoulders.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Sakura cheered from atop Sasuke's shoulders. When Ino resurfaced she glared up at her pink haired friend, who stuck her tongue out at her. "What was that about being the winners?" Sakura teased.

"Oh shut it you dumb billboard brow!" Ino snapped.

"Technically only Ino is the loser cause I never lost my balance she fell off on her own," Kiba vouched as he put one hand over his heart and the other in the air. Ino gasped and jumped onto Kiba's shoulders, pushing him below the surface of the water. Just as Ino was about to say something, Kiba yanked her down below the water and resurfaced to everyone laughing. "Okay Hinata and Naruto you're next."

"Ready?" Naruto asked, turning to Hinata who breathlessly nodded her head. "You okay, you look feverish." He noticed her cheeks were a little flushed.

"I'm good," she squeaked out and Naruto nodded, telling her to get onto his shoulders. Licking her lips, Hinata took in a deep breath and climbed onto his shoulders. Her heart was racing when Naruto stood up and waded over to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Be nice now, Sakura," Naruto commented, knowing that Sakura could get really out of control quickly.

"Hey I'm always nice," Sakura huffed and Sasuke snickered. "You say something?" Sakura asked, glancing down at Sasuke. He simply shook his head and Naruto laughed before looking back up at Hinata giving her a few words of encouragement.

"Go!" Kiba hollered from the sidelines. The two girls gripped each others arms and pushed against each other. Everyone cheered them on as the girls battled it out and while Naruto and Sasuke tried to keep their balance. Taking a step forward, Naruto gave Hinata a little help. Sakura yelped as she almost lost her balance and fell back, but Sasuke leaned forward to help her out.

"You can take her Hinata!" Ino cheered. The pearl eyed girl smiled weakly and mustered up a little fighting courage. She wanted to win, if she won she could impress Naruto. "Knock her down!" Ino shouted.

"Pipe down over there Pig!" Sakura shouted while trying to push Hinata towards the left. The quiet girl was much stronger than she looked though, needless to say Sakura was impressed. "Man, you quiet ones are tough," Sakura growled through gritted teeth as she tried to push Hinata off of Naruto's shoulders.

"Or maybe your just weak, Billboard Brow!" Ino snapped.

"What'd you say!?" Sakura screamed, loosing her focus. Seeing this as her chance, Hinata grabbed hold of Sakura's arms and tugged her to the right, causing her to fall right into the pool.

Everyone started clapping and cheering for Hinata, who thanked them with a bright smile and approving nods. When Sakura came back up to the surface seconds later and flipped her hair back and out of her face. Sasuke shook the water from his hair and looked at Sakura, who looked completely confused by what had just occurred.

"Way to go," Sasuke said, patting Sakura's shoulder.

"PIG! This is all your fault!" Sakura snapped about to charge at her friend, but the blonde quickly climbed out of the pool and ran behind Shikamaru, sticking her tongue out at the pinkette. Shaking her head, Sakura huffed and turned around to face Hinata who was still on Naruto's shoulder. "Good game, good game."

"Thanks Sakura," Hinata smiled. "You can...um, let me down now, Naruto."

"Oh right," Naruto said as he submerged himself in the water and Hinata climbed off. As he resurfaced he shook the water from his hair and looked to Hinata. "That was fun, we should do it again on the cruise." He beamed at her and she blushed a bright red, nodding her head slowly in agreement. The cruise was going to be quite an adventure for all of those who were going.

-Kiba-

Everyone was finally out of the pool and just lounge around on Naruto's patio furniture. They had a fire going in the fire pit with some marshmallows on skewers roasting away. Kiba was leaning back on the couch and strummed his guitar to some random melody. He looked up when Ino took a seat beside him and watched him tune up his guitar strings. Licking his lips, Kiba played a familiar tune and Ino swayed to the sound.

Sakura who had her head resting in Naruto's lap while her feet were on Sasuke's knees, looking over to the two from across the flames of the fire. She smiled and hummed the tune of the song. Naruto had his arms stretched out across the back of the couch and watched Kiba play his guitar. Shikamaru walked over and sat down on the floor beside Chouji and Lee, who were bobbing their heads to the tune.

"Come on Ino, sing," Kiba encouraged her and she sighed, taking a sip of her soda. She put the can down on the table that was wrapped around the fire pit and listened to the tune waiting for it to come back to the beginning of the song.

**Ino: **_Red cups and sweaty bodies everywhere / hands in the air like we don't care_

_'Cause we came to have so much fun now / got somebody here might get some now_

_If you're not ready to go home / can I get a hell no_

_'Cause we gonna go all night / 'till we see the sunlight alright_

Kiba smiled as he strummed along to Ino's voice. As the blonde girl continued to sing Kiba watched her and bobbed his head along to the tune. He remembered the countless times he'd walked home with her when they missed the bus back when they were freshmen. She would always be singing like his own personal radio. He was happy to say she had a nice voice though, so he actually enjoyed it. Kiba was a music major and wanted to produce music someday in the future that was his goal, he never went anywhere with his guitar.

There was another person in their group of friends who was a music person and that was Shikamaru. In a way Kiba was kind of envious of the guy he knew how to play several instruments, the piano, the drums, guitar, violin, cello, and saxophone. Kiba could only sing and play the guitar, but it was still enough to get the girls. We he and Shikamaru would perform after school sometimes, people would always flock to them. In fact, Kiba even had a Youtube channel and had well over two thousand subscribers, but he wanted more. He was planning on doing some videos while out at the Koi Islands.

**Kiba & Ino: **_So la da da di we like to party / dancing with Molly_

_Doing whatever we want / this is our house / this is our rules_

_And we can't stop (_**Kiba:**_ whoa) and we won't stop (_**Kiba:**_ whoa)_

_Can't you see it's we who own the night / can't you see it we who bout' that life_

_And we can't stop (_**Kiba:**_ whoa) and we won't stop (_**Kiba:**_ whoa) _

_We run things, things don't run we / don't take nothing from nobody yeah yeah_

He knew it would be a good move for him especially since he would have Ino and Shikamaru there, they could both help him since they were both musically gifted. His mother allowed Kiba to have one year to get a music career started and if it worked out that's what he would do. He would go to college there was no denying that, but first he wanted to get his feet wet in the music industry and build up his network.

**Ino: **_To my home girls here with the big butts / shaking it like we at a strip club_

_Remember only God can judge us / forget the haters cause somebody loves ya_

_And everyone in line in the bathroom / trying to get a line in the bathroom_

_We all so turnt up here / getting turnt up yeah yeah yeah_

Kiba looked amongst his friends and smiled. He was excited for this, he couldn't wait for Monday to come along. They would be on their own for several weeks on the Koi Islands. They had seven stops and seven weeks of endless fun. He still remembered when Naruto brought it up at the start of their junior year. At first everyone thought it was a silly idea, but that all changed when they looked into it. Together they all agreed to save up the money to go, unfortunately not everyone in their group was going, but most of them were.

Kiba was just surprised he was able to save up enough money to go, granted his mom chipped in a little bit. She thought it would be a good experience for him to get out and see the world. He was excited, they all were. Tomorrow was their last day together before they would all be off for the summer. It was going to be the adventure of a life time.

The song came to an end and everyone clapped as Ino laughed and bowed graciously. Kiba stopped playing and looked at Ino, who winked at him and clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Okay everyone," Kiba said, gaining everyone's attention. "A toast to the best summer ever...even though some of you are loser and aren't coming on the cruise."

"Hey!" Chouji and Lee exclaimed at the same time and everyone started laughing. Shino too wasn't going on the cruise exactly, but he'd see them when they stopped in Coral Cove.

"We'll all be seeing each other, this isn't goodbye," Shikamaru said as he leaned back on his elbows. "You don't go through all the shit we went through and forget your friends." Everyone agreed and brought their cups and cans together wishing for the best summer ever.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you everyone who reviewed last chapter. And don't worry, Chouji, Lee, and Shino, though they won't be on the cruise they will still have parts in the story. And you'll notice the characters names at the beginning of each section well that's because it is viewed in their perspective, I figured it would help keep things organized. See you all in the next chapter! My apologies for typos.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summertime**

-Sakura-

Sakura stood in front of her bed, staring into her suitcase. She was making sure she would have everything she needed before they would be departing. Tapping her chin, Sakura checked off she had three swim suits with her, sunblock, make-up, towels, two extra pairs of shoes, shorts, t-shirts, and her camera. Nodding her head, Sakura dropped her pink bag of toiletries into the suitcase and attempted to zip it up.

Unfortunately for her there was just way too much inside the bag. Sitting on the bag, she bounced up and down to get everything to jam in. Groaning when she couldn't get it to close, Sakura stood up and cursed. She didn't want to bring an extra bag to have to carry around. As it was she already had her suitcase which she could fit in an a backpack. Normally she'd put some stuff into the backpack, but it was already busting at the seams. Blowing her pink fringe out of her green eyes, Sakura tried to think of some things she could go without.

"Damn," Sakura huffed, placing her manicured fingers onto her hips. There was a knock on her door and Sakura turned around, "come in."

"Hey," Naruto greeted, poking his head into Sakura's bedroom. The pinkette smiled and greeted him, he lived just down the road from her. When he pushed the door open, he walked beside her and gaped at the overflowing suitcase. "Sakura you can't bring your house," Naruto teased and the pinkette hit him playfully in the arm, but it did hurt a little bit.

She looked at him dressed in an orange polo with black cargo shorts and matching flip-flops on his feet. His hair was in a messy disarray, almost like he just rolled right out of bed and came over. He smiled at her and she tilted her head, her green eyes studying his face curiously. While Sakura would never admit it out loud, Naruto was actually very handsome and wasn't that kid with the knobby knees and obnoxious mouth. Well he was still obnoxious sometimes...most of the time...always!

"Look, I'm a girl and I come with a lot of stuff," Sakura explained.

"I can see that," Naruto commented as he gestured to her suitcase that looked more like an animal that had eaten half her room. "Do you really need all of this though? I mean, we're going to be in a space the size of broom closet for the next few weeks." The blond put his hands behind his head, causing his shirt to lift ever so slightly, showing his defined V cut.

Granted Sakura had seen it before when they went swimming durning spring break and of course at the graduation party, but it was much more attractive when he was clothed and barely showing it off. It made it more alluring. Sakura caught herself staring and shook her head, her behavior was strange. Naruto was her goofy neighbor and best friend, there was no reason for her to be thinking of him in such ways.

"Can you just help me close it?" Sakura asked, popping one hip out to the side. Naruto stared at her for a second and then looked back at the suitcase. Sputtering, Naruto walked over to the suitcase and pushed the top down. There was barely any kind of give at all.

"Is the kitchen sink in here too?" Naruto joked and Sakura rolled her green eyes. The blond laughed as he jumped onto the suitcase, pushing all his weight onto it. Grabbing the zipper, Naruto forcefully pulled it around and somehow managed to get it to close. "Voila!" Naruto cheered as he slid off the brown and pink polka dot suitcase.

"Thank you!" Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands together and Naruto bowed. She laughed and turned around to check herself over in the mirror. Naruto stood behind her watching curiously as she fixed her white shorts and pink plaid button down with the sleeves rolled to her elbows. "Alright, let's get this onto the driveway." Sakura whirled around and patted the suitcase.

"Alright have at it," Naruto said about to walk out, but Sakura grabbed him by his shirt and tugged him back. "Didn't you know, chivalry is dead." He winked at her and Sakura glared at him. Laughing, Naruto walked over to the suitcase and lifted it off of her bed, his muscles flexing at the sheer weight.

"Can you handle it?" Sakura asked teasingly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Naruto got the suitcase down from the bed and turned to Sakura, "I think you packed the refrigerator in here too." The suitcase was probably about a hundred pounds give or take. As the blond exited the room, Sakura grabbed the bulging backpack and followed him down the hallway to the foyer. "Holy crap!" Naruto breathed as he put the suitcase down by the front door.

"It's not that heavy," Sakura scolded him.

"Pfft, then you carry it," Naruto grumbled.

-Shikamaru-

Shikamaru threw his army green duffle bag over the fence into the neighbors yard. His guitar case was situated on his shoulders and he tightened the straps. Grabbing onto the top of the fence, Shikamaru heaved himself up and jumped down onto the other side. When he landed, he grabbed his duffle bag and walked up to the wooden deck. Going up the steps, Shikamaru knocked on the glass sliding door.

"Good morning, Shikamaru! Come on in!" Mrs. Yamanaka greeted, waving for him to enter the house. Smiling, Shikamaru pushed the door open and stepped in. He closed the door behind him and looked into the kitchen. Sitting at the breakfast bar was Ino's father, Inoichi, having some coffee with his nose buried in the newspaper. "Go set your stuff down and have some breakfast, Ino's still packing."

"Sure," Shikamaru replied with a nod, walking up to the front of the house. He put his stuff down by the staircase that was near the front door. His hazel eyes glanced up at the second floor where he could hear Ino's music blaring and her shadow dancing on the wall. Chuckling, Shikamaru shook his head and walked back into the kitchen.

The Yamanaka house was beautiful decorated with floral arrangements on fancy wooden pedestals. That was too be expected though since they owned one of the best flower shops in town. Shikamaru always thought that the Yamanaka house was something you'd see in a magazine with fancy throw pillows on the couch, dark cherry wood floors, beautiful lace drapes, and lovely coffee colored countertops in the kitchen.

Taking a seat at the breakfast bar, Shikamaru took in the sweet smell of maple syrup and crispy bacon. Mrs. Yamanaka was the best cook he knew, even better than his mother, not that he would ever say that to his mother otherwise she'd probably starve him. The brunette woman with the caramel eyes turned around to look at Shikamaru with a smile.

"Would you like some orange juice?" she asked, nodding to a glass pitcher at the other end of the bar.

"Yes, please," Shikamaru replied with a nod. The woman smiled and got him a glass, pouring some for him. When she set it down, Shikamaru thanked her and took a sip of the sweet and tangy orange juice. Shikamaru was practically family to the Yamanaka's, they had been neighbors since before he and Ino were even born. Sometimes Shikamaru didn't even have to knock to get into the house, he would just walk right in and Ino's parents would greet him as though he was their son.

"Shikamaru, I know that Chouji is not coming with you," Mr. Yamanaka said suddenly as he folded up his newspaper and looked to the lean built boy. "That means you have to really watch my daughter, I don't particularly like that you all are going away for most of the summer, but Ino begged me," he paused to take a sip from his white coffee mug, "I want you to promise that you will look after my daughter."

"Daddy, seriously!" Ino groaned as she walked into the kitchen. "I'll be fine."

"Yes sir, I will watch your daughter," Shikamaru replied before looking at Ino. When his eyes fell on her he smiled and she rolled her pretty blue eyes. In a way, Shikamaru was accustomed to watching over Ino, he always had.

"Very good, Ino you behave yourself out there, you hear me?" her father asked her sternly and Ino sighed, assuring her dad that everything would be fine and that he needed to stop being such a worry-wart. Shikamaru chuckled lightly at Ino's lecture to her father. "I understand, but it never hurts to be pre-cautious. Buddy system at all times and no sex!" Her father waved a finger at Shikamaru, who's mouth fell open.

"Daddy!" Ino shrieked as she stood in the middle of the kitchen arms crossed.

"Don't you 'daddy' me, I was a teenager once, I know what it's like with all those raging hormones," Mr. Yamanaka grumbled and Ino's face flushed. Shikamaru on the other hand had stiffened and quietly sipped on his orange juice.

Talk about awkward moment.

-Tenten-

It was 9:30 in the morning and Tenten was excited. In the next half hour she and her friends would be heading for Sun City, Suna and tomorrow morning she would be laying in the sun on a large cruise ship. She was so excited that they were doing this, it was definitely going to be the best summer ever. Walking out of her bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth, Tenten went to turn on her radio. Turning up the volume a bit, Tenten danced over to her closet to figure out what she would be wearing for the day.

Grabbing a yellow sundress, Tenten pulled it from the hanger and laid it out on her bed. She had packed the night before, so she wasn't worried about that at all. Going back to her bathroom, Tenten went to spit the paste out of her mouth. Rinsing the taste from her mouth, she put her tooth brush in a little baggy and carried it out to her make-up bag. Grabbing the hairbrush sitting on her vanity by the make-up bag, Tenten started to brush her chocolate tresses and sat down in front of the vanity.

Her almond eyes looked at the pictures tapped onto the mirror. Some were from prom, some were from spring break, and some were from years ago. Tenten stared at one picture in particular, one she just couldn't bring herself to get rid of. The picture from when Neji and her were leaving from prom. It was the one picture Tenten couldn't throw away. Every other picture of them she was able to get rid of, but that one no matter how hard she tried she couldn't. Biting her lip, Tenten looked away from the picture for a moment and sighed.

She wore a simple empire waisted ivory dress with her hair up in curls. Neji wore an all black suit with an ivory tie. He had looked so handsome and she looked beautiful. The look on his face when Tenten came down the stairs was one she would never forget. It was a look of love and admiration, one that showed he cherished her. Of course, that was all short lived because two weeks later they broke up. For the past month and a half the two have been separated and they rarely spoke. Tenten felt like she just lost her best friend and seeing him everyday after they broke up just tore her apart.

They broke up for such a trivial reason. Neji would be attending Kaminari University and Tenten would be staying to attend Konoha University. He believed that the distance would be too hard and decided to end things. While Tenten understood his point and semi-agreed with him, she never expected it to hurt so bad. She and Neji had been by each other's side for years and dated most of high school, she felt like a part of her was missing on certain days.

"I helped myself to your breakfast cause I didn't think you'd want it," Rock Lee said as he barged into her room.

"Lee!" Tenten hissed, pulling her fluffy white robe closer to her body. She never could get used to her next door neighbor just bargaining in unannounced and unwelcome. It was sort of a ritual though he did this every Monday and Wednesday morning. He would just let himself into her house and eat whatever breakfast her mother had made for her. "You seriously need to knock what if I was naked!" Tenten screeched at him.

"Hey sometimes not knocking pays off," Lee explained as he walked over to her bed and looked at the dress. "Trying to impress someone?" he asked as he nodded to the dress. He was wearing a track suit and he was all sweaty, he had probably just returned from his morning work out at the gym.

"No," Tenten replied as she went back to brushing her hair.

"Lair," Lee said with a snort as he fell onto her bed still munching on the banana nut bread he found in her kitchen. "Will you be okay on this trip?"

"Neji and I have been broken up for like six weeks already, I'll be fine," Tenten muttered and Lee glanced at her in disbelief. "Get off my bed, you're all sweaty!" she chided, turning to face the bushy browed boy.

"I bet you guys are going to have hot angry hate sex," Lee commented as he got off of her bed.

"Get out!" Tenten barked, throwing her hair brush at him. She missed however and it bounced off her door and Lee darted out of the room, laughing all the while.

-Naruto-

"Sasuke's on his way," Naruto said as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He watched as Sakura was playing with some sidewalk chalk. Walking around her, Naruto could see she was writing in huge girly like letters the words 'Here's to Summer' with some flowers and butterflies and a sun. He chuckled softly as he watched her doing so, coloring in the letters and flowers with bright pinks and purples and blues. "Sai would be proud of your art." Naruto sat down on the ground beside her and Sakura turned to look at him, smiling warmly.

"I miss him," Sakura said as she went back to drawing.

"Me too," Naruto replied truthfully with a nod. Sakura could see the sadness on Naruto's face from the the corner of her eye and sighed softly. She knew Naruto still blamed himself for what happened even though it wasn't Naruto's fault or anyone's for that matter.

"Naruto!" Kushina's voice chimed and both teens looked to the redheaded woman coming their way. The blond stood up and dusted off his shorts, wondering what his mother needed from him. Surely he hadn't forgotten something at the house, he wasn't like Sakura who packed the whole damn house. "Hello Sakura!" Kushina greeted when she reached the end of the driveway.

Sakura smiled and stood up, dusting off her chalky hands. "Good morning!" Sakura chimed with a smile as she skipped on over and stood beside Naruto.

"I wanted to wish you both a safe trip," Kushina said, hugging the two of them at the same time in a loving hug. She always felt like Sakura was the daughter she never had. Naruto and Sakura had been friends since they were toddlers, so she watched Sakura grow up into a beautiful and smart young lady. "And Naruto, you forgot something. Or well I forgot to give it to you actually." The redhead held up a brown paper bag and Naruto furrowed his brows.

"What did you get me?" he asked curiously as he opened up the bag and reached inside of it. Pulling out a small box from inside the bag, Naruto's eyes went wide and Sakura's face flushed red. "Condoms! Mother, seriously!" Naruto shrieked as he stared at the box.

"Just in case, I mean Sakura's a beautiful girl and I can understand that temptation is hard-"

"Mom! I am begging you to stop!" Naruto yelped as he glanced as Sakura who was as red as a cherry. He sighed softly when his mother started giggling and leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"Okay, I won't embarrass you-"

"Too late," Naruto grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"Just please use protection, I don't want you coming back saying I'm going to be a grandmother," Kushina chided and the blond nodded his head in understanding. "Very good, I love you and have fun. See you when you get home, you call me okay?" she asked him before walking away.

"Yes mom," Naruto replied, waving her off. When she was about half way down the street, Naruto looked at the box of condoms in his hands and closed his eyes. It was one thing for his mom to think he was going to have sex, but for her to think it would be with Sakura was even worse. They were friends, best friends at that and besides she had a thing for Sasuke and he kind of had a thing for Hinata lately. "That was so embarrassing."

"There are no words," Sakura sputtered and Naruto looked at her, laughing lightly. "No words." She shook her head and walked away going back to playing with her chalk while they wanted for Sasuke to come pick them up.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Many thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter, I truly appreciate it. Sorry for the wait on this chapter and I also apologize for any typos, I wrote this chapter without my contacts and well I'm blind as a bat without them haha. So thanks for reading and the continued support I will see you all in the next chapter! Also if you are a fan of Naruto and Sakura and want a story centered around them check out my story **If You Told Me To**.


	4. Chapter 4

**Roads**

-Ino-

"As the driver I get full control of the radio," Kiba grumbled as Ino kept switching radio stations on him. The blonde girl didn't care though, simply smacking his hand away every time he tried to touch the dial. He had no problem with her music choice, but anytime a song came on that she didn't like she changed it. There were even some songs that she only liked one part, so she would change it wants that part would pass. "Ino seriously! Stop changing the station!" Kiba barked at her, but Ino merely laughed and contained to change the stations.

At this point it was obvious she was doing it just to be annoying. Ino apologized and finally left it on a station, sitting back in the shotgun seat. She had her bare feet up on the dashboard, the windows were down and the wind was blowing through her hair. The girl started singing along to the song and Kiba shook his head. At the next rest stop he was kicking her out and taking Naruto or Hinata or anyone else.

"So how much further is it?" Ino asked, staring out the front window. They had only been driving for about an hour and a half and they weren't going to be stopping until one o'clock to get some lunch.

"Ino we've been driving for like an hour and a half," Shikamaru pointed out from the backseat. He was looking over a brochure on the Koi Islands and all the cool things they had to offer. "We won't get to Sun City until this evening and it's barely twelve." Shikamaru glanced at his watch and shrugged his shoulders. His tolerance for Ino's blabbering had grown over the years, after all he'd known her since they were little.

"I'm just so excited," Ino explained with a bright smile, turning around to look at Shikamaru. He nodded his head knowingly, since this trip was all Ino could talk about for the past two months. "We can go surfing and snorkeling and I really want to swim with the dolphins." She clapped her hands together in excitement and turned back around, plopping down into her seat.

Kiba looked at her and smiled, rolling his eyes. She was like a kid on Christmas morning, who finally got the pony she always wanted. The blonde girl caught Kiba looking at her and smiled softly, brushing a strand of her hair from her face. She looked into the side view mirror and saw Sasuke was following right behind them in his black Jeep. Ino couldn't help, but wonder what would happen on the vacation. It was a long time to be away from home without a way to get space from each other. She was sure they would fight and all, but what she really wondered if who would hook up with who.

"So who do you think will sleep with who on this little vacation?" Ino asked, turning to look at Kiba.

"I don't even want to think about that," Shikamaru chided from the backseat and Ino scowled, saying he was no fun at all. Rolling his eyes, the lazy genius just kept his mouth shut and enjoyed the road trip.

"Neji and Tenten," Kiba chimed.

"Well duh, those two are holding out for each other. Shit, Neji is so hot for her right now he was practically coming on to me," Ino giggled and Kiba looked at her in surprise. "I'm not kidding, he like wants to do her so bad." She flicked her hair from her face and Kiba scrunched up his nose at the idea of Ino and Neji getting it on.

"Here's the more important question, would you sleep with Neji?" Shikamaru asked, leaning forward between the driver and passenger seat. The blonde looked at him in surprise and he eyed her curiously. Kiba started cackling and Ino glared at him.

"He's sexy, I'd do him," Ino shrugged and Shikamaru shook his head. "But don't worry Shikamaru, I never stopped loving you." She teased, winking at him as she put her fingers under his chin. The lazy boy pulled back and stared at Ino with a smirk on his face, making her giggle. Ino was the biggest flirt he knew, so anything she said when it came to sex, relationships, and whatnot he took it all with a grain of salt.

The funny thing about it all was that, despite the fact that Ino seemed to be joking around, deep down she really did kind of have a thing for Shikamaru. They had known each other for so long it just made sense for her to have a tiny crush on him. Especially when he hit his growth spurt in junior year, he grew tall, lean, and his voice had stopped with all the funny cracking and was deeper and richer. She watched him grow up and had been his best friend for years, how could she not have feelings for him? He was home to her, he was safe, and sweet.

-Sai-

He sat there by the window, watching the sun break through the trees in the front yard of his brother's home. His dark eyes seemed a bit glazed over, though he was looking out the window, he wasn't really seeing anything at all. Just to the right of the trees in the front yard, Sai caught movement in the corner of his eye. Blinking, the pale skinned boy turned his head to the driveway where his brother was packing up the little green car. Turning away, Sai took his arms up from the armrest of his chair and slowly lowered them onto the metal bars that framed the thin wheels. His gloved hands gripped the metal and he rolled his wheelchair back.

Sai rolled himself towards the foyer and stopped when his brother, Shin walked in with a smile on his face. "Alright, let's get to the airport."

"I don't want to go," Sai grumbled and his brother, Shin groaned. They had had this conversation twenty times in the past week. Shin was tired of watching Sai mope around the house, so he thought a nice two week vacation would be just what he needed to cheer himself up. "Let's just cancel this trip and stay here." Sai was about to roll away in his wheelchair, but Shin ran around behind him and started pushing him in the direction of the front door.

"You will thank me for this, you can't spend the whole summer locked up in my house," Shin said as he rolled Sai right up to the car and opened up the door for him. "Alright, in you go." Shin waved for Sai to get in, but the dark haired boy just sat there.

"Shin, I really don't think this is a good idea."

"You've been sitting in my house for the past two and a half months with nothing to do and you don't even paint or draw anymore, come on Sai, don't you miss this?" Shin asked him, kneeling down in front of him as if he were a five year old. "You're friends tried to come see you and you pushed them away, don't be like this."

Sai looked at his adoptive brother and closed his eyes, letting his head hang between his shoulders for a few moments. Shin had a point the accident happened over four months ago and he spent a long time in recovery. Once he was out of recovery though he moved in with Shin and even though his friends tried to come see him, he just locked himself in his room. Sai wasn't even sure if he was mad about the whole incident, he knew it wasn't on purpose, but now his whole livelihood had changed. They were just being stupid teenagers and it cost him a lot, sure he was happy he lived, but still he was paralyzed from the waist down.

"It will be fun," Shin promised him.

"Alright, alright," Sai gave in and Shin clapped his hands together as he helped Sai get into the car.

-Sasuke-

They group had decided to stop for lunch at some burger joint that was about three hours outside of Konoha. It was a small town, classical in every sense, and very cozy. Boutiques dotted the streets along with those fancy iron wrought lamp post at the end of every corner. Sasuke looked around as he and his friends claimed a large picnic table under a large shade tree, sitting outside in the summer breeze. Thankfully it was comfortable enough to sit outside and enjoy the weather. He much rather be outside than in his Jeep driving across the country to Sun City. All he knew though is that it was going to be the last summer with all his friends and he wanted it to be amazing.

"Why are you sitting over here all by yourself like a loser?" Sakura asked as she came walking over to Sasuke, who was sitting at the far end of the patio area. He was enjoying the quiet and small town, wondering what life was like in such a quiet place. As much as he loved the city, sometimes the hustle and bustle drove him crazy. Although he would never want to give up calling a Chinese restaurant at one in the morning for something to eat.

"Just enjoying the quiet before getting on the road again," Sasuke explained, bring his bottle of soda up to his lips. He took a sip and stared back out to the small town. Sakura nodded her head and plopped down on top of the table beside him. "This is my last summer with you guys."

"No it's not," Sakura said, bumping her shoulder against his. "We'll see each other again." She smiled at him and he looked back at her, biting his lip nervously.

"Actually it really is," Sasuke said quietly and Sakura tilted her head in confusion. The truth was after Sasuke finished his bachelors degree at Kaminari, he was going to be studying abroad in the England and after that he was going to join his brother in Africa to do some relief work for a few years. He just hadn't gotten around to mentioning it to anyone because he didn't want to ruin the vacation. Although now he couldn't seem to hold it in any longer, he'd known about this plan all senior year.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked with a laugh.

"Hey! We're going to do a little shopping before we get on the road again!" Ino shouted, interrupting the two. "Come on Sakura, let's go!" The blonde girl ran over to her pink haired friend and pulled her away. In a way Sasuke was grateful that Ino interrupted, because he didn't think now was the best time to say anything. If he told Sakura she would tell Naruto and then they would be on his back about it for the entire vacation.

"Shit," Sasuke cursed under his breath, running his fingers through his hair.

-Naruto-

Naruto was sitting on the tailgate of Kiba's truck and staring down at Sai's phone number. He felt guilty, he knew the accident happened four months ago and Sai told them to leave him alone, but he was supposed to be on the vacation too. Ever since Sakura mentioned his name, Naruto couldn't stop thinking he should call him and at least congratulate him on graduating. Sighing, Naruto put his phone down and rubbed his face with his hands. He shouldn't be thinking of such depressing matters, but he couldn't seem to shake it.

"Why so blue?" Tenten asked when she saw Naruto sitting alone. She was grabbing something out of Sasuke's Jeep and couldn't help, but overhear Naruto's deep and heavy sighs. It was very unlike Naruto to be so quiet and deep in thought, normally he was loud, rambunctious, and crazy. Ever since they made their first pitstop though he'd been very melancholy. "You seem out of it today." She leaned against the truck, resting her arms on the walls of the bed.

"No, I'm fine," Naruto said with a smile and Tenten eyed him. While she didn't know him as well as Sasuke and Sakura, she knew that he was lying. Pushing off of the truck, Tenten walked over to the tailgate and jumped onto it, sitting beside Naruto. "What, don't you believe me?" he asked, trying to sound hurt.

"You've been quiet the whole car ride too," Tenten pointed out and Naruto pursed his lips. "What's going on?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Okay," Naruto gave in, figuring it wouldn't hurt to at least tell her about what was on his mind. "I was just thinking about Sai." The brunette girl beside him frowned at the mention of the boys name. There was no denying that Sai was a good friend to everyone albeit weird and strange, but he was always a good listener. When Tenten and Neji broke up, she cried about it for hours in the art class and Sai sat there beside her and listened the whole time, not once did he ever complain about it either.

"I wonder how he is," Tenten said softly, looking up at the big blue sky overhead.

"I was debating if I should call him, but he made it quite clear he wants nothing to do with us...me in particular," Naruto muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Tenten frowned and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"You tried Naruto, the rest is up to him," Tenten said and Naruto looked at her, nodding his head slowly. She was right, he tried to apologize and tried to make things right, but at the end of the day that would never give Sai the ability to walk again.

-Neji-

Neji was staring out the window of the little gift shop across the street from where Naruto was talking to Tenten. He knew that Naruto and Tenten didn't like each other as more than friends, but he still couldn't help, but wonder what they were talking about. And when Tenten put her hand on Naruto's shoulder, the big vein in Neji's head was about to pop. It was bad enough that Tenten didn't even want to ride in his car with him, but now that she was avoiding him it drove him insane.

"You're going to drive yourself crazy," Hinata said as she walked up to her cousin, who was just fuming by the window. "She'll come around," she assured her with a smile, but Neji only grunted a response. Shaking her head, Hinata waved her cousin off to allow him back to his spying.

He knew that Hinata was right, Neji and Tenten were good friends, but they didn't know how to be friends anymore. All they knew was holding hands, kissing, and cuddling on the couch. Now that they weren't together though they couldn't do those things, Tenten said she needed space and time to get over him. She made herself very scarce in his life, even so much as switching out of the two classes they had together. They pretty much cut all contact with each other or more like she cut all contact with him.

Maybe Lee had been right, maybe this vacation would be to difficult for him. Tenten was an epic love story to him, and seeing it over broke his heart. It was for the best though, they were going to different schools and would meet other people. He just had to stick with it and believe that if they were meant to be together they would be together again someday. Shaking his head, neji moved away from the window, spying on Tenten would not make getting over her any easier after all. His phone started going off in his pocket and he pulled it out, seeing Lee's name flashing on the screen.

"You can't say you miss us already, we left like three hours ago," Neji said, putting the phone to his ear. "Or did you call to make sure I was going to be able to handle this?"

"Actually I was calling to say my flight leaves in an hour, so I wanted to say good luck," Lee retorted on the phone. "And it's not to late to bow out."

"Can't back out now, I'm already here," Neji pointed out with a snort. "I can do this, Lee...or at least I think I can." He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a breath.

"Just remember she's heartbroken too," Lee reminded him.

"Yeah, I know," Neji muttered bitterly. "Safe flight."

"Thanks, I'll Skype with you guys once I get settled in."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay, I've been busy with my other story, but this one is not forgotten. Thank you to all who reviewed on the last chapter and someone asked me if I was a NaruHina fan or a NaruSaku fan and honestly I truly enjoy both pairings, because of that I thought it would be a nice spin to have that conflict in this story. Don't hate on me because of that though, pairing wars are the main reason I left writing Naruto fanfics for a while. Well see you all in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Arrival**

-Shikamaru-

They had finally arrived in Sun City just before sunset. The sky was painted red, orange, and purple as the sun was sinking below the water line. As the waves moved slowly they glittered like millions of diamonds. It was beautiful unlike any sight he had ever seen before. The group had decided to hang out at the beach before checking into their hotel for the night. Ino and the other girls were playing in the water, Neji, Naruto, and Kiba were playing a game of soccer, Sasuke was basking in the fading sunlight, and Shikamaru was sitting on the tailgate of the truck. He closed his eyes and turned his face towards the light, feeling the warmth.

Yawning, Shikamaru laid back in the truck bed and rested his head in his hands. It had been a very long trip and he was glad that it was finally over. He couldn't wait to be out in the ocean, seeing all the tropical islands. Nothing could be better than drinking something out of a coconut cup under the shade of a palm tree on a beach. Opening his eyes, Shikamaru stared up at the sky and chuckled when he heard Naruto and Kiba arguing over something. Sitting up, Shikamaru looked over at them. He was trying to get a nap in, but it was hard when they were being so damn noisy.

His eyes fell upon the two and he raised a brow when Naruto threw the ball at Kiba. The brunette dodged just in time and unfortunately for Naruto it bounced off of Sakura's head. Naruto stiffened and the pinkette slowly turned to look at Naruto, her fist tightly clenched and eyes narrowed with anger. Shikamaru snickered and watched in amusement as Sakura chased Naruto around on the beach.

"Please Sakura! It was an accident! I'm really sorry!" Naruto whined.

"You idiot!" Sakura roared as she tried to grab him, but thankfully Naruto was faster than her. "I'm going to kill you! Naruto!" she hollered, shaking her fist above her head.

Shaking his head, Shikamaru laid back down on the bed of the truck and sighed softly. This was going to be one hell of a vacation, but he was still looking forward to it. Closing his eyes, Shikamaru was about ready to drift off to a nap when someone tapped his knee. Huffing in annoyance, Shikamaru opened up his eyes and looked at Ino. She smiled at him, her hair damp from having been splashing around in the water.

"It's too bad, Chouji couldn't come," Ino said as she jumped onto the tailgate, sitting beside Shikamaru. "Aren't you excited about all of this?" she asked with a smile, looking out at the ocean. Shikamaru glanced at her and traced her body with his eyes. He hadn't realized that she was in a dark purple bikini with a towel wrapped around her hips, covering her slender legs.

"Of course," Shikamaru replied simply, closing his eyes. The last thing he needed was to get caught checking out Ino's body. She'd punch his lights out and be laying unconscious on the beach just like Naruto. "And I know you are," he added with a chuckle.

"Well of course! On a romantic island getaway, it's like a dream come true," Ino gushed and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. She turned to look down at him and smile, playfully hitting his chest.

"What was that for?" Shikamaru questioned, rubbing the spot she had hit.

"Stop being so lazy, come play," Ino told him and he snorted. "Come on, Shika, please," she begged, running her finger down his chest. Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise and he looked at her. She batted her lashes and Shikamaru rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Knock it off, Ino," Shikamaru grumbled and turned on his side, so that his back was facing her. The blonde girl glared at him and grasped his ear. "Ouch!" Shikamaru yelped as Ino pulled him along towards the water.

"You're not going to be a lazy bum while on this vacation, ya hear me!" Ino growled.

"That's the whole point of a vacation, you troublesome girl," Shikamaru grumbled just before she tackled him and they fell into the water. "Ino!" Shikamaru cried out as they were submerged in the salty ocean. The foam and waves engulfing them.

-Kiba-

Kiba watched Ino and Shikamaru with a slight pinch of jealously, but he wasn't entirely sure why. Shaking it off, Kiba walked over to his truck to grab his guitar in the back seat. Holding his guitar, Kiba leaned against his truck and strummed a couple of chords. He heard Ino squeal and turned to see Shikamaru had her over his shoulder and was spinning her around in the water. When he stopped spinning he dropped the blonde into the water and she screamed. Ino resurfaced and started yelling at Shikamaru, but he only laughed and told her she got what she deserved for ruining his nap.

"Look at you," Sakura commented as she walked up beside Kiba with a sly smirk on her lips. The boy looked at her and snorted, acting like it was no big deal. "Oh come on, I saw that jealousy." The pinkette winked at Kiba and leaned against the truck beside her.

"There is no jealousy, we're all friends here," Kiba said, strumming his guitar.

"We can all be friends and still have jealousy issues," Sakura chided with an eye roll. Kiba snorted and glanced over at Shikamaru and Ino, splashing each other in the water. He shook his head and started playing his guitar again, but Sakura stopped him. "Am I right?" Sakura asked with a raised brow.

"No," Kiba replied curtly and the pinkette scoffed.

"Liar," she hissed, pointing an accusing finger at him. Kiba turned away from the pinkette and sighed, he knew he wouldn't be getting out of this one easy. Sure, he thought Ino was pretty, smart, and funny, but that didn't mean he was jealous seeing her flirting with Shikamaru all wet and stuff. He scrunched up his nose at the thought, but when he caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, he sighed.

"I'm not lying," Kiba stated and Sakura tilted her head to the side with a soft smile on her face. The brunette with the guitar turned to look at Ino and Shikamaru. His eyes widened when the two fell, Shikamaru on top of Ino. Swallowing hard, Kiba rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. Sakura looked at Shikamaru and Ino, seeing them stare at each other for a moment before they pulled away from each other.

"It's okay if you like her," Sakura said and Kiba shook his head.

"Nah, it's nothing," Kiba assured her as he waved the matter off and walked away.

-Hinata-

Letting out a relaxed breath, Hinata laid back on the warm sand and closed her eyes. It was such a beautiful evening and she couldn't believe they would be enjoying this for most of the summer. Putting her hands behind her head, Hinata opened up her eyes and watched the seagulls fly overhead. A shadow loomed over her and she looked up to see Sakura, waving at her. Smiling Hinata greeted her as the pinkette plopped down in the sand beside her.

"This is fun, don't you think?" Sakura asked as she wiggled her toes in the sand.

"Yes, absolutely," Hinata agreed with a nod.

"So what do you think this vacation is going to be like?" Sakura inquired as she propped herself up on her elbows. Hinata looked at her friend and then turned to the others in their group. She smiled, she had spent a lot of time thinking about what their trip would be like. Her eyes fell onto Naruto, who was talking with Sasuke and Kiba by their vehicles. Sakura caught this and chuckled lightly. "Why do you like Naruto so much, Hinata?"

Hinata blushed a bit and turned away from the blond boy across the way. "What?" Hinata asked with a nervous laugh.

"He likes you too," Sakura told her and Hinata felt her heart skip a beat. There was no way that Sakura would lie about something like that, after all Naruto and Sakura were best friends. In a way, Hinata felt a bit threatened by their relationship. Those two had been close for so long, she always wondered why they never got together. "He's a good guy." Sakura smiled at Hinata, who looked at Sakura and nodded once in agreement.

"Can I ask you something?" Hinata inquired.

"Sure, what is it?" Sakura asked, looking at Hinata with curiosity.

"You and Naruto, why haven't you two ever gotten together?" Hinata asked sheepishly and Sakura stared at her for a moment. It was a good and fair question and there was no doubt everyone else wondered that too. The truth was Hinata kept her distance from Naruto because at the end of the day, Naruto would pick Sakura every time. "I'm sorry, that was a little rude," Hinata mumbled.

"No, it's totally fair to ask that. I mean we're best friends and all," Sakura explained, waving the matter off. She sighed softly and looked over to Naruto being his annoying goofball self with the other boys. "And to be honest, I really don't know."

Those weren't exactly the most reassuring words that Hinata was expecting.

"Maybe it's because I have always had a thing for Sasuke," Sakura whispered and giggled lightly, looking to the handsome Uchiha boy who was scolding Naruto for his antics.

"I see," Hinata replied weakly and Sakura turned to her with a raised brow. "I guess we'll see what happens." She shrugged her shoulders and Sakura nodded slowly, glancing back to Naruto.

-Sasuke-

Naruto annoying antics was almost more than Sasuke could deal with and now he was stuck with him for most of the summer. There was a very good chance Sasuke would kill Naruto before everything was all over. They could say he was eaten by a shark or fell off a cliff or something. Sure Sasuke and Naruto were best friends, but sometimes Sasuke wondered how that every came to be. Naruto was crazy and loud and annoying, while Sasuke was more relaxed and cool and down to earth.

Naruto insisted that Sasuke was always brooding. That wasn't true at all though, Sasuke did not brood. Shaking his head, Sasuke huffed as Naruto and Kiba started bickering over where to eat for dinner. He caught a glimpse of pink in the corner of his eye and spotted Sakura and Hinata across the way. The pinkette was giggling and glanced over at them. Her green eyes were watching Naruto and Sasuke looked down at the sandy ground. When he looked back up he saw Sakura was looking at him next. She gave him a kind smile, which he returned and sighed softly. He still hadn't told her about his plans, but he had a feeling that she would be asking soon enough.

"Oi! Sasuke, you be the deal breaker," Naruto exclaimed, throwing an arm around Sasuke's shoulders.

"Don't drag me into your issues, dope!" Sasuke scolded, but the blond waved the matter off.

"Just pick if we go get some pizza or chicken," Naruto said, glaring over at Kiba.

"Why do I have to pick?" Sasuke grumbled, rolling his dark eyes. "Pizza, I guess."

"HA!" Naruto cheered, sticking his tongue out at Kiba. The brunette scoffed and waved the matter off, he was up to eat just about anything to begin with. Sasuke also had a feeling those two wouldn't stop there, they'd most likely start an eating contest too. "Come on everyone! It's dinner time!" Naruto hollered as he climbed into Sasuke's Jeep.

"Hey, Sasuke," Sakura said as she approached at he turned to look at her. "We never got to finish our conversation earlier."

_Damnit, _Sasuke cursed as he looked at Sakura. He just had to open his big mouth, he was kicking himself for ever bringing it up in the first place. "Don't worry about it, it was nothing." He smiled and Sakura eyed him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and climbing into the Jeep. Sighing in relief, Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair, telling them would surely crush them.


End file.
